


Hold Me Now

by Ladderofyears



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Auror Harry Potter, Bathing/Washing, Caring Harry Potter, Conversations, Draco Malfoy Has Long Hair, Draco is worried about labour, Gentle, Kissing, M/M, Mild labour anxiety, Mildly Anxious Draco, Mpreg, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Potions Shop Owner Draco Malfoy, Short One Shot, baby bump, bathing outside
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26105950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladderofyears/pseuds/Ladderofyears
Summary: Harry and Draco share a night time bath and conversation in their outside hot tub beneath the stars.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 3
Kudos: 178





	Hold Me Now

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from the brilliant Thompson Twins song of the same name.

Draco settled his back against Harry and let out a long breath. 

The bubbly water swirling around the pair of them was charmed to the perfect temperature but he knew that it’d take him a few minutes to get used to the heat. 

The delicate fragrance of sandalwood and patchouli rose from the water and he let the scent fill his lungs as he relaxed his weight against his husband. 

His back was aching and tender, and Draco knew in his heart of hearts that he’d been overdoing it lately. He had been up long before seven to open the Apothecary and then he had flooed up to Hogwarts, wanting to manage the school’s potion supply personally. 

Harry had told him to let his Apprentice start making the deliveries but Draco had felt a little too guilty. His customers liked a personal service. He lay his hand on the growing swell of his belly. He supposed that he’d have to get Aster to begin making the rounds soon. Their Magi-Midwife had told Draco that Apparition wouldn’t be possible after his sixth month. Draco didn’t want to take any risks.

The cool of the night made their outdoor bath steamy and Draco yawned gently. One of Harry’s hands slid around his middle and rested on the top of his own. “This is nice,” Harry said, his voice a warm rumble. “Relaxing under the stars. I can see your star, love.”

Draco let his eyes follow his husband’s other hand as it pointed at the sky. It seemed like no time at all since his mother had shown him where to look for his constellation–just between Ursa Major and Ursa Minor–when he was a small boy yet, in a matter of months Harry and he would be fathers to their own baby. 

Draco could still scarcely believe it. 

“You’re getting bigger,” Harry said after a few minutes had passed, splaying his fingers out over Draco’s rounded bump. “Have you felt them wriggle much today?”

Draco smiled to himself. This was Harry’s favourite question. His husband was desperately envious of the little swoops and flutters that Draco felt nearly everyday now. 

“A little,” Draco replied. “When I drank my Pumpkin Juice with my lunch. Baby was most aggrieved by the chill. They were very active afterwards. I actually had to stand and stretch… Pansy laughed at me, the awful bint. Said that when our baby really started kicking that I’d know about it.”

“I can’t wait to feel them,” Harry said, his tone reverant. “It’s not long now, is it? Twelve weeks? We’ll get to meet them then, love. I can’t wait.”

Twelve weeks wasn’t very long. Draco looked down at the jut of his tummy, half emerged beneath the surface of the bath. 

Only twelve weeks left before their baby joined them. Harry and he had been married for five years and now their lives were due to change forever. They’d gotten together later in life than most of their friends. Draco had fallen for the love of his life aged twenty-five. Of course, they’d seen each other on and off since school–the wizarding world was impossibly small–but it had taken Draco that long to admit to himself just how besotted he really was. Now everything was going to be different once more. Draco hoped he was ready. Their baby deserved a happier life than Harry and he had endured. 

“This water helps,” Draco mused, enjoying the buoyancy and comfort of the water around his stretched, sore skin. “We should bathe like this more often.”

“We’re both so busy nowadays,” Harry replied, carding a gentle hand through Draco’s hair. It was longer now than it had been in years. Harry coiled a length of it around his finger and Draco shifted his body, enjoying Harry’s closeness and solid familiarity “Me with all my open cases. You with the Apothecary. We should try to make more time for it, before our baby comes.”

Harry was right, of course. The two of them had used to bathe together at least once a week and Draco wasn’t sure when the habit had fallen by the wayside. It felt lovely and intimate, sharing this small space with Harry. They’d talk about their worries and their dreams, their good days and their bad ones. He’d always enjoyed this time with his husband. 

Draco rolled over so that his belly was against Harry’s own. He let his fingers drift through Harry’s curly chest hair, choosing not to respond straight away. The water around them rippled gently, small tendrils of steam rising from their bodies in the soft, subdued wandlight. 

“I’d like that,” Draco said eventually. He closed the space between them, finding Harry’s lips with his own. The kiss that they shared was warm and welcoming. Draco knew the shape of Harry’s lips far better than he did his own. Even after all these years their every kiss felt as special as their first. “I can’t think why we stopped.”

Harry broke their kiss after a few minutes. He poured a drop of honey soap into his palm and began to massage it carefully over Draco’s swollen middle. 

“And have you thought about when baby comes?” Harry asked. “The Magi-Midwife did say that we needed to make a labour plan. Have you thought about what you want written in your notes?”

Draco hadn’t, not really. He’d been tryjng his hardest not to think about their little one’s birth. Mother had warned him that it would be awful so, whenever he spoke or thought about it, Draco began to feel vaguely anxious. 

“I’d like a water birth,” Draco said after a long moment had passed. “Pansy said the water supports all your muscles and makes you feel safe and supported.” Draco looked up at Harry. His husband’s green eyes were wide, shining with love. “I’ve been avoiding thinking about it,” Draco admitted quietly. “There’s so much that can go wrong. I’ve never been brave about pain and… Well. I get scared.”

Harry let his fingers graze lightly across the side of Draco’s jaw. 

“The Magi-Midwife isn’t worried about you,” he murmured. “Baby is the perfect size, their heartbeat is strong. Their magical core is powerful. You don’t need to be scared, Draco love. I’ll be here. I’ll look after you.”

“I just love them so much,” Draco admitted. “Even though I’ve never met them. They’re a part of you, Harry. I couldn’t bear to lose them.”

“Don’t think about any of that,” Harry urged, holding Draco close. He could hear the thrum of Harry’s heartbeat next to his chest and the tickle of his magic at the edges of his consciousness. He could feel the flicker and waver of his baby deep within him, awake and excited at their other father’s proximity. “I won’t let anything happen to either of you. You’re my family. Think only of holding our baby for the very first time.”

“Our _baby_ ,” Draco said, his voice dropping. 

If he closed his eyes he could almost imagine them. Curly dark hair like Harry’s own and their eyes a soft baby green. They’d smell wonderful, like gardenia and warm bread. Draco lets himself relax entirely into the image, dozing in the sultry heat of the bath. He wasn’t worried though. Harry was there, perfectly content to hold him as long as he slept.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading xxxxx


End file.
